Panel 1:
USS San Diego (CL-53)
Light Cruiser
Crew: 756 Officers and Men
Battle Record
Guadalcanal to Tokyo Bay 1942 to 1945
34 Enemy Engagements - 18 Battle Stars
Steamed 312,000 NM
Second most decorated ship in World War II,
Never lost a man to enemy action
First major Allied warship into
Tokyo Bay at war's end, August 1945
Major Campaigns
*Guadalcanal, *Truk, *Leyte Operation,*Buin-Faisi-Tonolai, *Marianas, Okinawa,*Santa Cruz Islands, Bonins, Formosa,*Third Savo, Saipan, Luzon,*Rennel Island, Guam, Visayas,*New Georgia-Rendova, Philippine Sea, *Luzon Operation*Bougainville, *Tinian, Luzon, Buka Bonis, *Western Carolines, Formosa, Rabaul, So. Palau Islands, China Coast,*Gilbert Islands, Philippine Islands, Nansei Shoto,*Marshall Islands, *Iwo Jima, Kwajalein-Majuro, *Okinawa, Jaluit Atoll, Japan
Built by Bethlehem Steel, Quincy, Massachusetts
Launched 26 July 1941
Christened by Mrs. Grace Benbough, wife of Mayor of San Diego
Commissioned 10 January 1942, Boston Navy Yard
Length 542 feet, Beam 53 feet, Displacement 7500 tons.
Main armament 16 5-inch guns in 8 twin mounts
Decommissioned 4 November 1946
Panels 2 and 3:
Commanding Officers
Captain Benjamin F. Perry, USN
January 1942 - March 1943
Captain Lester J. Hudson, USN
March 1943 - March 1944
Captain William E. Mullan, USN
March 1944 - December 1945
Executive Officers
Commander Timothy J. O'Brien USN
January 1942 - May 1943
Commander John J. Lewis USN
May 1943 - November 1943
Commander Brooke Schumm USN
November 1943 - August 1945
Commander George F. Pittard USN
August 1945 - December 1945
Panels 4 and 5:
Flag Officers
Rear Admiral John D. Wilstie, USN,
Commander Cruiser Division 11
Rear Admiral Oscar M. Badger, USN,
Commander Task Force 31
"You have written your names in the golden pages of history and won the undying gratitude of your countrymen," Vice Admiral William F. Halsey, USN, Commander, South Pacific - 17 November 1942, after victory in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
Panel 6:
Hundreds of thousands of sailors went to sea and fought in World War II, perhaps the most singular unifying event in the history of the United States. These young Americans set aside their individual hopes and aspirations, left families, homes and jobs in a collective sacrifice to defend their country and their common ideals. The men of the USS San Diego (CL-53) remembered here are emblematic of all who fought for victory in the epic struggle.
[Artists: Eugene L. Daub and Louis T. Quaintance.]
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